My husband is an Officer in the Navy. Over the past couple of years, he's had to see the doctors on base for injuries and the answer is always the same, "Nothing is wrong, go home and rest for the remainder of the week and you'll be fine.".

Two years ago he injured his shoulder and after many visits with the doctor, he was told absolutely nothing was wrong and the discomfort would eventually subside. After attempting to explain his concern that something wasn't right, the doctor became extremely defensive and told him that he better think twice about questioning the doctor's professional intellect. To this day, he has extreme discomfort and a noticable lump that is not on the other shoulder

Last week, he was carrying a 50 lb steel box and his backpack down the plane ladder and lost his footing which resulted in him falling multiple feet to the flight deck and landing on his knee. He spent the next 4 hours at the Navy Hospital where they did a few x-rays, told him nothing was broken/fractured, informed him his knee would swell, gave him some care instructions, wrapped the knee and sent him home on crutches. He was also told the knee is one of the strongest bones in the body and will rarely break (which is obviously far from the truth considering the patella is very easy to break). He went back for an evaluation 2 days later and was told there was nothing wrong with the knee, but was sent home for another week to rest and to prevent him from having to climb any stairs at his squadron. It has now been 9 days since the incident - no bruising or swelling.

Current Issues:
1. Pain when bending the knee
2. Pain around the bones - most likely bone bruising
3. A VERY noticable crack/indention in the patella can't be felt

My concern is that the patella is broken/fractured and the same is going to happen with his knee that happened with his shoulder. This is a very serious injury that could require surgery. How can we trust that he's going to get the correct care? Should we go somewhere else for an x-ray and pay out-of-pocket? If so, how much would that cost? And what steps should be taken if the Naval doctors aren't being honest and our independent x-rays prove he needs surgery?